What Gives With Print Media's Treatment of Mayor's New Hire?

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What Gives With Print Media’s Treatment of Mayor’s New Hire?

Reported By

bhornback

Reported On

December 30, 2011

Yesterday at 11:04 a.m. the Big Metal Shed on the Hill published this story online about the hiring of Patricia Robledo by Madame Mayor Madeline. By Bill Lyons own admission on the local liberal blog, Lyons the #3 guy in the Madame Mayor Madeline administration posted “I monitored the comments from the time the article appeared. Literally within a minute or two a comment appeared that was just plain racist and disgusting. I flagged it for removal. Within a short time 8 more comments appeared. They ran the gamut from sanctuary cities to green cards to more overt racist appeals and references to Mexicans. When I checked again in a few minutes the comments were disabled. I breathed a sign of relief and hoped that Ms. Robledo’s children had not read the comments while they were still viewable.” Should the individual making $150, 030.00 the second highest salary in the administration and $20,030 more than the Mayor herself have the duty of monitoring and flagging “objectionable” comments? Is his flagging a comment, his opinion or that of the City administration.

The problem that has been communicated to me by at least three people in the community today. Is the Big Metal Shed on the Hill or it’s Editor Jack McElroy‘s decision yesterday that speech with some public officials off limits. From all indications this was a first for a public official. Don Jacob‘s story last week detailing the high school rank of former Mayoral candidate Ivan Harmon should have been disabled. However, as an elected official and Senior Citizen Harmon should not have been exposed to such tacky reporting, commenting. As for other public officials, former Mayor Mike Ragsdale, former Sheriff Tim Hutchison were never the recipient of disabling tacky, hurtful comments. Former Mayoral candidate Mark Padgett and his family were the subject of many hurtful comments posted on the website of the Big Metal Shed on the Hill and McElroy did not disable the comments. Even myself as a former School Board Member and Knox County Republican Party Chairman have never received the gift of disabling comment that were tacky, hurtful and just plain low class.

Everyone that becomes a public official understands that all comments are unfortunately fair game unless the “official” can prove malice. Mrs. Robledo should have been informed of this prior to accepting the the job. Obviously, Lyons expected it, when he said last night on the local liberal forum “Unfortunately we expected that this might happen.” When he said “we” was it he and the Mayor? he, the Mayor and Mrs. Robledo?

As for the controversy of Mrs. Robledo coming to Knoxville in 1980 and becoming a citizen in 1990. However, authored the press release exposed this controversy to Mrs. Robledo and the Big Metal Shed on the Hill including it. Obviously, with it’s inclusion in the press release and article everyone “with hands on deck” should have expected the questions.

Now, as for how comments are handled. I have always advocated that comments be listed by the commenter’s name. I began using comment moderation, to keep the ill bred, nasty comments off. In addition to comment moderation it allows me to check ip addresses where the comment is coming from. The Big Metal Shed on the Hill has the ip addresses of all comments. So, they know who it is. I support tight requirements on commenting, however I am against the wholesale disable comments by the paper. It is not right.